Wind gusts reached 115 mph during EF-1 tornado in Hillsdale: National Weather Service
The National Weather Service has completed a preliminary damage survey for a tornado that struck Hillsdale, Kansas, Monday evening, leaving a swath of damage in its wake.
Several tornadoes struck northeast Kansas Monday, as the region experienced unexpected severe weather.
The Hillsdale tornado was the second to stem from one supercell thunderstorm in the area, according to the weather service’s damage survey.
The survey said the first tornado was an EF-2 located in Ottawa, a town that lies just west of Hillsdale. The storm swept through the town Monday night, destroying several buildings.
The second tornado touched down at 8:18 p.m. “just east of Hillsdale Lake in northern Miami County,” the report said.
It initially left damage confined to a campground and an RV park in the rural Miami County community, the National Weather Service said, where residents were left to sort through the wreckage Tuesday.
The storm continued, strengthening to an EF-1 as it traveled down West 255th Street and crossed Harmony Road, the report said.
After crossing Hospital Road, the tornado traveled east, strengthening once again to an EF-2, according to the National Weather Service.
The report estimated wind gusts reached 115 mph as the tornado struck a single-family home and several area storage facilities. The storm weakened as it traveled into rural areas, ending at 8:23 p.m. before reaching U.S. 169 north of 255th Street.
In total, surveyors estimate the tornado traveled 250 yards. One person was injured as a result of the storm, and no one was killed.
According to Matthew Kelly, a spokesperson for the Miami County Sheriff’s Office, around 100 buildings were destroyed by the tornado. Nearly half were completely destroyed, or were damaged enough to be deemed unlivable.
Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency following Monday’s storms.
A Red Cross shelter is located at the Hillsdale Learning Center, a local elementary school, for those affected by the storms.
The Star’s Kendrick Calfee contributed reporting.
